Jim Roy one step closer to making Champions Tour

Jim Commentucci / The Post-Standard, 2008Jim Roy hits a shot during the final round of the 2008 Post-Standard Amateur at Colgate Seven Oaks Golf Club. Roy won the title for the second time in three years. He now is attempting to make it onto the Champions Tour and will play in the final stage of the senior circuit's qualifying tournament next week in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Jim Roy is one baby step closer to making it onto the Champions Tour. Now comes the hard part.

Roy, Central New York’s top amateur, finished tied for 11th in one of four regional qualifying tournaments for the 50-over senior circuit last week in Orlando, Fla. His steady rounds of 72-72-71-71 landed him two strokes ahead of the cut of 288, and gave him for a berth in next week’s final Q-school challenge in Arizona.

There, he will join 77 other players at the TPC Scottsdale Champions Course in a four-round tournament Tuesday through Friday. Only the top five will earn full exemptions onto the Champions Tour for 2010. Nos. 6 through 12 will gain conditional exemptions and the top 30 will earn the right to enter Monday qualifiers throughout the season.

Roy, who became eligible for the senior tour when he turned 50 on Aug. 4, said the deciding factor in entering Q-school came down to whether he would have to relinquish his amateur status. Told that he didn’t have to until he actually entered a Champions Tour event, he decided to give it a go.

“The biggest thing was that I didn’t have to turn pro to try,” said Roy, who lives in Syracuse and plays out of Bellevue Country Club. “That was huge. And I had the support of my wife and kids, who really wanted me to try. I did too, I just didn’t know it. So, I figured why not, let’s just give it a shot.”

Roy previously competed on the PGA Tour for one season, 1983. After failing to retain his tour card, he attempted Q-school several times before reapplying for his amateur status. He has played as an amateur since 1996, dominating local tournaments, winning four state titles and qualifying for several U.S. Amateurs.

Rick Bronson, a Central New York PGA professional and owner of RPM Aerifying, also competed at the Orlando site (MetroWest Country Club) with Roy last week. The reigning CNY PGA senior player of the year posted rounds of 75-75-74-73 and tied for 40th.

CNY PGA awardsSteve Nacewicz, head pro at Teugega Country Club in Rome, has been named the Central New York PGA’s golf professional of the year.

The honor, the highest paid by the local PGA section, was presented to Nacewicz because of his service to the PGA, leadership skills, ability to promote golf and overall performance at Teugega, where he has been the head pro for 15 years. He has served on the section’s board of directors for eight years and co-chaired the special awards and education committees.

Nacewicz will be honored Dec. 10 at Turning Stone Resort, along with other section award winners. They are: